Jet propulsion drive for ships



R. E- HORAN, JR

JET PROPULSION DRIVE FOR SHIPS Jan. 21, 1969 Sheet Filed Dec. 51, 1962 INVENTOR. RAYMOND E. HOfiA/VJP.

w 9 H/S ATTOR/VE Y5 1969 R. E. HORAN, JR

JET PROPULSION DRIVE FOR SHIPS Sheet Filed Dec. 31, 1962 Y ."INVENTOR.

RA YMO/VD HORA/V J HIS ATTORNEYS United States Patent M 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A Water jet propelled vessel having one rudder in the jet stream and one below the bottom of the vessel so that the vessel can be steered while the vessel is coasting. The lower rudder is pivotally mounted and spring biased to the down position.

My invention relates to a jet propulsion drive for ships and more particularly to the steering and reversing means for ships employing jet propulsion drive.

Among the objects of my invention are:

(1) To provide novel and improved means for controlling a ship which is jet propelled;

(2) To provide novel and improved means for reversing the direction of travel of a jet-propelled ship;

(3) To provide novel and improved means for steering a jet-propelled ship which may have lost its power in transit;

(4) To provide a novel and improved rudder assembly for a ship; and

(5) To provide novel and improved steering and reversing means for a jet-propelled vehicle, which means utilizes the jet stream in a most efficient manner.

Additional objects of my invention will be brought out in the following description of a preferred embodiment of the same, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a sectional view in elevation of the steering and reversing means of the present invention as applied to a jet-propelled ship;

FIGURE 2 is a view in section taken in the plane 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a rear view in elevation of the steering means of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a view depicting in detail, a feature involved in the steering means of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings for details of my invention in its preferred form, FIGURE 1 depicts the lower stern portion of a ship, wherein the hull bottom 1 is provided with an intake opening 3, and a transom 5 which is likewise provided with an opening 7.

Coupling the two openings, is a pump asembly 9 preferably of the impeller type, having a suction line casting 11 mounted at its intake end to the bottom of the hull at the intake opening 3 therein, while its other end is coupled to the inlet of a turbine bowl or impeller housing 13. The output or discharge end of the bowl is supported in one end of an open-ended housing 15 which is mounted on the transom 5 externally of the hull, by means of a mounting wall or flange 17 which spans the transom openmig.

One or more impellers 19 are mounted on a horizontal shaft 21 which is supported at one end in a bearing 23 located in the cone 25 of the'turbine bowl, while the other end of the shaft passes through a bearing 27 built into the wall of the suction line casting.

A removable inspection closure 29 may be provided in the suction line casting in proximity to the turbine bowl, such closure being readily removable to permit of inspection of the interior of the pump assembly.

3,422,788 Patented Jan. 21, 1969 The discharge end of the turbine bowl converges to function as a jet, in providing a jet discharge for propulsion purposes, which for forward travel of the ship, discharges longitudinally through the open-ended housing Extending vertically through the floor of the openended housing and journalled therein is a shaft 33. Within the open-ended housing, this shaft supports a vane 35 at an intermediate point thereof, this vane in its median position, lying longitudinally of the housing, but adapted to swing on its shaft axis, to the right or left of such posi- 10H.

Below the floor of the open-ended housing, and afiixed to such shaft 33, for rotation therewith, is a rudder 39, which lies in the plane of the vane 35, and by reason of the fact that the rudder and the vane a-re fixed to the same shaft, both will move together in unison.

In its symmetrical position, the vane will split the jet stream; and the propulsion force of each half being in the same direction and of like value, the ship will move in a straight-ahead path of travel, and in this, the rudder will cooperate; it also, under these conditions, occupying a symmetrical position.

With angular deviations of the vane, a portion of the jet stream will be diverted from its former direction of travel and this will introduce a turning component in the reaction force of this portion of the jet stream. By reason of the fact that the vane is mounted at an intermediate point thereof, that portion of the vane lying adjacent the nozzle, will intercept more than half of the jet stream and cause more than half of the jet stream to be diverted, thus enlarging the turning moment over what it would be were the vane connected at its end to the shaft 33.

The rudder being on the same shaft will turn through the same angle and accordingly assist the jet stream in effecting such turning or steering.

It becomes apparent from the foregoing that the greater the angular adjustment of the vane 35, the greater will be the intercepted portion of the jet stream available for turning purposes and the smaller will be the remaining portion of the jet stream, which exerts purely a forward thrust on the ship. In one sense, this is an adavntage, for the sharper the turn one desires to effect, the lower the forward thrust component of force one would want while making such turn, and such relationship will be inherent in the steering means described.

To effect such steering adjustment of the vane and rudder, an aligned shaft 45 is mounted on the upper edge of the vane and passes through the upper Wall of the openended housing 15, in which wall, the shaft 45 is journalled. To the exposed end of this shaft, is attached a tiller arm 47 which extends from the shaft through the transom opening 7 to the interior of the ship and within range of an individual who may be in control of steering.

In mounting the rudder 39 to its shaft 33, I prefer to hingedly secure the same on a hinge pin 49, and spring bias the rudder to its normal operating position. This may be accomplished by attaching to the lower end of the shaft 33 a yoke 53 adapted to straddle the mounting end of the rudder which may then be secured in such position by the hinge pin 49 passing through the straddling arms of the yoke and the included portion of the rudder. The rudder may then be fixed to the pin by a set screw or the like.

At one end of the hinge pin 49, the pin may be notched to anchor an end of a spiral spring 54, while the other end of the spring may be anchored to the proximate arm of the yoke 53, and in such manner as to bias the rudder to its normal operating position. Thus, should the rudder, in the normal course of travel of the ship, strike a submerged object, it will give and permit itself to be dragged over such object, to be subsequently restored to its normal operating position and with a minimum probability of damage thereto.

The rudder may be mounted for independent control, by affixing the vane 35 to a hollow shaft journalled in the floor and upper wall of the housing 15, to be con nected to the tiller 47, while the rudder will be afiixed to a concentric shaft extending above the upper end of the vane shaft, and to the upper end of the rudder shaft, a separate tiller will be connected.

The advantages of the rudder in a jet-propulsion system as described, are multifold, for aside from the fact that such rudder will assist greatly in the matter of steering, should the ship lose its power as by accidental stalling of the engine which drives the pump assembly, the occupants of the ship will not thereby be rendered helpless in the matter of steering, for while the vane will have been rendered substantially useless for this purpose, the rudder will still be available, and this can become mighty important should the ship be in a position of danger.

To enable reversing the direction of travel of a ship, while maintaining control of steering of the same, I provide means for causing the jet stream to reverse itself, thereby reversing the direction of thrust exerted by the jet stream. This I broadly accomplish, by providing a discharge opening or openings 55 in the floor of the openended housing 15 and blocking the discharge end of such housing by means of a reversing gate 56, and in such manner as to divert the jet stream through such floor opening or openings in a generally reverse direction. Thus, while for forward travel, the jet stream will discharge to atmosphere, in reversing the jet stream, it will, in all probability discharge below the surface of the water. While less efiicient, it can be tolerated during the normally infrequent reversals of the ship.

The floor openings may be two in number and symmetrically located, with each adjacent a side wall 57 of the housing. At each of said openings I prefer to rotatably install a directional funnel 58 which, for straight travel in the reverse direction, is directed toward the ship in balanced relationship to the other. These directional funnels are pivotally connected to the extremities of a connecting link 59, the mid-point of which would be pivotally secured to the lower inside corner of the vane 35, with the vane lying in a symmetrical position. Such coupling of the directional funnels to the vane may be undertaken without regard to previous orientation, by providing connecting tabs 61 at suitable locations on the bearing rims of the funnels.

In establishing the reversing gate 56, the side walls 57 of the open-ended housing 15 terminate in arcuate edges 63 with each side wall being provided with an arcuate rib 67 adjacent its arcuate edge.

The gate 56 will have a radius of curvature corresponding to that of the arcuate side wall edges of the side walls and radial arms 71 for pivotally securing the gate to the side walls at points corresponding to the center of curvature of the gate, to permit raising and lowering of the gate between a fully raised position and a fully closed or lower position. Pivot pins 73 at these points will serve the purpose.

Each of the radial arms is formed with a groove to receive the proximate arcuate rib 67, to guide and stabilize such movements of the gate.

Raising and lowering of the gate may be placed under control of an occupant of the ship, by passing a control rod 79 through an opening in the transom and mounting flange 17, and hingedly securing this rod at its external end to the upper edge of the gate, the opening about the rod being closed by a flexible bellows type seal 81, in which the rod may slide. A shroud or hood 85 attached to the mounting flange above the flexible seal, will function to protect the gate in its upper raised position.

Accordingly, to reverse direction of the movement of the ship, the reversing gate will be lowered, which will change the direction of flow of the jet stream to a downward reverse direction. Steering may then be effected by movements of the tiller in the same manner as for forward direction of travel. The vane 35 will continue to divide the jet stream in the manner previously described, so as to effect maximum use of such jet stream in the steering of the ship, and in such steering function, it will continue to be assisted by the presence of the rudder.

I'claim:

1. Steering means for a vessel having jet propulsion including a water pump means having a suction line adapted to extend below water level for developing and pumping a water jet stream from a jet nozzle directed through the transom of such vessel, said steering means comprising means for guiding said water jet stream from said jet nozzle for propulsion of said vessel,

a rudder below said jet guiding means out of the path of any jet stream and permanently afiixed thereto for adjustable rotation below water level in position to function continuously during movement of such vessel at any speed and in either direction,

and means for angularly adjusting said rudder to assist steering of said vessel.

2. Steering means for a ship having jet propulsion including a jet stream from a jet nozzle directed through the transom of such ship, said steering means comprising means for guiding said jet stream from said jet nozzle for propulsion of said ship,

a rudder below said jet guiding means out of the path of any jet stream and permanently afi'ixed thereto for adjustable rotation, below water level in position to function continuously during movement of such ship at any speed and in either direction,

spring hinge means normally biasing said rudder to its functioning position but adapted to permit said rudder to ride over obstacles,

and means for angularly adjusting said rudder to assist steering of said ship.

3. Steering means for a ship having jet propulsion including a jet stream from a jet nozzle directed through the transom of such ship, said steering means comprising an open-ended housing extending rearwardly from said transom and surrounding said jet nozzle to provide a passage for a jet stream from said jet nozzle for forward propulsion of said ship,

a shaft extending up through the bottom of said housing,

a vane within said passage and affixed to said shaft for rotation to guide said jet stream for forward and backward propulsion of said ship,

a rudder below said housing and affixed for rotation,

to said shaft, in the plane of said vane,

and means for angularly adjusting said vane and rudder simultaneously to effect steering of said ship in the forward and backward direction of travel.

4. Steering means for a ship having jet propulsion including a jet stream from a jet nozzle directed through the transom of such ship, said steering means comprising an open-ended housing extending rearwardly from said transom and surrounding said jet nozzle to provide a passage for a jet stream from said jet nozzle for forward propulsion of said ship,

said open-ended housing including a top wall and a bottom wall,

a shaft extending through said bottom wall,

a vane within said passage and afiixed to said shaft for rotation to guide said jet stream for forward and backward propulsion of said ship,

a rudder below said housing and affixed for rotation to said shaft, in the plane of said vane,

and means for angularly adjusting said vane and rudder simultaneously, to effect steering of said ship in the forward and backward direction of travel.

5. Steering and reversing means for a ship having jet propulsion including a jet stream from a jet nozzle directed through the transom of such ship, said steering and reversing means comprising an open-ended housing extending rearwardly from said transom and surrounding said jet nozzle to provide a passage for a jet stream from said jet nozzle for forward propulsion of said ship,

said open-ended housing including a floor, and an opening in said floor,

a vane mounted for rotation within said passage forward of said floor opening to guide said jet stream with regard to said opening,

means for angularly adjusting said vane to control the direction of said jet streams by said vane to effect steering of said ship and in the forward and backward direction of travel,

and means for substantially reversing said jet stream and guiding the same into said floor opening to effect reversal of travel of said ship.

6. Steering and reversing means for a ship having jet propoulsion including a jet stream from a jet nozzle directed through the transom of such ship, said steering and reversing means comprising an open-ended housing extending rearwardly 'from said transom and surrounding said jet nozzle to provide a passage for a jet stream from said jet nozzles for forward propulsion of said ship,

said open-ended housing including a floor, and an opening in said floor,

jet stream directing means for steering said ship in the forward and backward direction of travel,

means for substantially reversing said jet stream and guiding the same into said floor opening to effect reversal of travel of said ship,

a rudder below said open-ended housing and affixed for rotation,

and means for angularly adjusting said rudder to assist in steering of said ship in both the forward and reverse directions of travel.

7. Steering and reversing means for a ship having jet propulsion including a jet stream from a jet nozzle directed through the transom of such ship, said steering and reversing means comprising a fixed open-ended housing extending rearwardly from said transom and surrounding said jet nozzle to provide a passage for a jet stream from said jet nozzle for forward propulsion of said ship,

said open-ended housing including side walls and a floor, and an opening in said fioor,

means for steering said ship in the forward direction of travel, said means including a vane rotatably mounted on a vertical axis in said housing,

means for substantially reversing said jet stream and guiding the same into said floor opening to effect reversal of travel of said ship, said means including an arcuate gate having a radius of curvature,

and radial arms from said gate and pivotally secured to said side walls at the center of curvature of said gate, to permit raising and lowering of said gate, said vane being located between said jet nozzle and said gate, whereby said vane will remain effective for steering, during travel of said ship in reverse.

8. Steering and reversing means for a ship having jet propulsion including a jet stream from a jet nozzle directed through the transom of such ship, said steering and reversing means comprising a fixed open-ended housing extending rearwardly from said transom and surrounding said jet nozzle to provide a passage for a jet stream from said jet nozzle for forward propulsion of said ship,

said open-ended housing having a floor,

a vane mounted for rotation within said passage,

means for angularly adjusting said vane to control the direction of said jet stream by said vane to effect steering of said ship in the forward and backward direction of travel,

a pair of depending directional funnels rotatably supported in the floor of said housing,

means for guiding said jet stream by said vane into said dtilrectional funnels to effect reversal of travel of said S p,

and means for simultaneously adjusting said directional funnels to effect steering of said ship while in reverse movement.

9. Steering and reversing means for a ship having jet propulsion including a jet stream from a jet nozzle directed through the transom of such craft, said steering and reversing means comprising an open-ended housing extending rearwardly from said transom and surrounding said jet nozzle to provide a passage for a jet stream from said jet nozzle for forward propulsion of said ship,

said open-ended housing including a top wall, a floor,

and side walls, each side wall terminating in an arcuate edge,

a shaft extending through said floor and journalled for rotation therein,

a vane within said passage and aflixed to said shaft for rotation therewith,

a rudder below said housing and affixed to said shaft in the plane of said vane,

means for angularly adjusting said vane and rudder to effect steering of said ship in the forward direction of travel,

a pair of depending directional funnels rotatably supported in the floor of said housing, to either side of said shaft,

means for guiding said jet stream into said directional funnels to effect reversal of travel of said ship, said means including,

an arcuate gate having a radius of curvature corresponding to that of said arcuate side wall edges,

and radial arms from said gate and pivotally secured to said side walls at the center of curvature of said gate to permit raising and lowering of said gate, whereby to selectively block said passageway and divert said jet stream into said directional funnels,

and means for simultaneously adjusting said directional funnels with adjustments of said rudder, to effect steering of said ship while in reverse movement.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,024,274 12/1935 Campini -11 X 2,861,533 11/1958 Thomas 114162 3,055,175 9/1962 Clark 115l6 X 3,070,956 1/ 1963 Christensen 11514 X 3,089,454 5/1963 Chronic 11512 3,127,741 4/1964 Pottharst 11512 X 3,034,295 5/1962 Hanley 11512 X 2,682,247 6/ 1954 Woodsworth 11511 X FOREIGN PATENTS 500,116 2/1954 Canada. 733,321 6/1955 Great Britain.

TRYGVE M. BLIX, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

